Looking ahead to 2014 opponents.

[Broncosballer32]

Pats
Dolphins
Jets
Bills
Bengals
Colts
49ers
Seahawks
Cardinals
Rams

That is going to be tough. Not to mention the AFC West. Chiefs and Chargers will both be better.

 

[cdumler7]

Definitely will be a tough schedule next year. The nice saving grace is knowing that the rest of the AFC West has to play the exact same schedule except for two games. Chiefs will get the Titans and Ravens this next season most likely and those are no gimme games for them.


I do think maybe 10-6 wins the division next year or 11-5 even if the teams are better next year.

 

[BroncoInCALI]

Saw it broken down in Home and Away and once again......@ NE.

 

[cdumler7]

Saw it broken down in Home and Away and once again......@ NE.

Yeah saw that too and can't believe we continue to go to Foxboro. Hopefully we can get them in Denver for the playoffs here so they actually have to do a bit of traveling for once.

 

[MileHigh64]

Facing them in Foxboro next year will be no problem since we'll have the 2013-2014 season Lombardi safely tucked away in the trophy case at Dove Valley!

 

[Broncos6482]

Looks really tough on paper, but who knows how it will actually turn out to be.

One question I'm interested in: if we win the Super Bowl, who will we open the season against at home on Thursday night?

 

[wingsauce7]

Do you think if the Broncos win a SB this year Manning retires? That would make any schedule a bitch.

 

[MileHigh64]

If Manning can play next year, he'll play. If the Broncos won a Superbowl, I think he might be even hungrier to do it again. It's the John Elway model!!

MH64

 

[Broncosballer32]

Do you think if the Broncos win a SB this year Manning retires? That would make any schedule a bitch.

Manning is well aware of all the records. Favre's records, along with SB victories. He wants to at least tie Brady's victories, and he certainly wants all of Favre's records. He wants all of them. That is why he is holding on.

If he wins it this year, he will be certainly hanging on to get his third ring.


At least that is way I see it.

 

[Southieinnc]

Saw it broken down in Home and Away and once again......@ NE.

Great way to start the season, you think? Both teams straight up with no injuries? (hopefully)

 

[iknowftbll]

Do you think if the Broncos win a SB this year Manning retires? That would make any schedule a bitch.

I think he'll be gone if the Broncos win the Super Bowl. Think about what he has accomplished this season: By the end of the day he will have set every single season passing record available. And even though Manning himself acknowledged that holding those records is temporary with the way the game is evolving, to date it will still be the single greatest season by a QB. Ever. If he tops it off with being the first QB to lead two different teams to a Super Bowl win it will be the perfect way to call his career complete. I would be surprised (pleasantly so) if he returned after a Super Bowl win.

 

[cdumler7]

I think he'll be gone if the Broncos win the Super Bowl. Think about what he has accomplished this season: By the end of the day he will have set every single season passing record available. And even though Manning himself acknowledged that holding those records is temporary with the way the game is evolving, to date it will still be the single greatest season by a QB. Ever. If he tops it off with being the first QB to lead two different teams to a Super Bowl win it will be the perfect way to call his career complete. I would be surprised (pleasantly so) if he returned after a Super Bowl win.

I think he would stay one more year. With having Elway who finished off his career with 2 straight Super Bowl wins I think he could convince Manning especially after a MVP season to return for one more try and solidify his legacy even that much more.

 

[DownSetHutch]

Adding to cd's point, Eli has 2 Super Bowl rings, and he has several more years left in the tank. I think that would motivate Peyton to come back next year if the Broncos win it all this year.

 

[MileHigh64]

In Peyton's CBS interview yesterday, he continued to indicate that he'll play as long as he feels like he's playing at a high level, with a good chance to win. I would think that the regular season that was just completed would have him leaning toward another year as a Bronco, regardless of what happens in this year's playoffs. I've felt all along that we were going to have Peyton as our QB for three years.

MH64

 

[MrDoc420]

Saw it broken down in Home and Away and once again......@ NE.

Yeah saw that too and can't believe we continue to go to Foxboro. Hopefully we can get them in Denver for the playoffs here so they actually have to do a bit of traveling for once.

Yah.....this really pissed me off when I saw it. Makes absolutely zero sense in terms of home/away rotation with outside division opponents

 

[iknowftbll]

Yah.....this really pissed me off when I saw it. Makes absolutely zero sense in terms of home/away rotation with outside division opponents

The match up with the Patriots is part of the AFC West vs AFC East series. The last time this happened was 2011, when the Patriots did travel to Denver. This series generally alternates home and away games, so it's the Broncos turn to make the trip. As for these past two seasons, they are part of the Broncos first place schedule. I don't know why/how they decide to make the Broncos travel in this game, but the alternative would have been a road game in Baltimore this year and a road game in Houston last year.

I'm okay with it because the schedule methodology in the NFL is a fair and uniform approach. Generally where you have complaints about the schedules you have fans who don't understand the scheduling methodology.

 

[cdumler7]

The match up with the Patriots is part of the AFC West vs AFC East series. The last time this happened was 2011, when the Patriots did travel to Denver. This series generally alternates home and away games, so it's the Broncos turn to make the trip. As for these past two seasons, they are part of the Broncos first place schedule. I don't know why/how they decide to make the Broncos travel in this game, but the alternative would have been a road game in Baltimore this year and a road game in Houston last year.

I'm okay with it because the schedule methodology in the NFL is a fair and uniform approach. Generally where you have complaints about the schedules you have fans who don't understand the scheduling methodology.

Before these past 2 years the last six games in the regular season broke down in favor of the Broncos 4-2 so the last 2 years have evened it out 4-4 over the last 8. I know it sucks for us to have to keep going back to NE but pretty sure the schedule should work out where after this next year the Broncos would have the next couple in Denver. I could be off on that but I do think it works out that way. It all eventually works itself back to even in the NFL but definitely get tired of 3 years straight. Seems like they could come up with a better formula where at most a team will get 2 years in a row.

 

[iknowftbll]

Before these past 2 years the last six games in the regular season broke down in favor of the Broncos 4-2 so the last 2 years have evened it out 4-4 over the last 8. I know it sucks for us to have to keep going back to NE but pretty sure the schedule should work out where after this next year the Broncos would have the next couple in Denver. I could be off on that but I do think it works out that way. It all eventually works itself back to even in the NFL but definitely get tired of 3 years straight. Seems like they could come up with a better formula where at most a team will get 2 years in a row.

I think a bigger problem the NFL should solve is syncing up bye weeks. I don't see why there isn't a way to ensure every team playing an opponent out of their bye week is themselves coming out of a bye week. Make sense? In 2009 the Broncos played 4 straight opponents coming out of their bye weeks. One of those games was mitigated by the Broncos themselves having a bye week in that stretch, but if you think that didn't take its toll on some level, I don't know what to say.

This seems like it would take minimal effort to tweak the scheduling formula. Sync up bye weeks so that the four teams on a bye any given week will be playing each other the following week, and every team will be on a bye before playing another team on their bye.

 

[cdumler7]

I think a bigger problem the NFL should solve is syncing up bye weeks. I don't see why there isn't a way to ensure every team playing an opponent out of their bye week is themselves coming out of a bye week. Make sense? In 2009 the Broncos played 4 straight opponents coming out of their bye weeks. One of those games was mitigated by the Broncos themselves having a bye week in that stretch, but if you think that didn't take its toll on some level, I don't know what to say.

This seems like it would take minimal effort to tweak the scheduling formula. Sync up bye weeks so that the four teams on a bye any given week will be playing each other the following week, and every team will be on a bye before playing another team on their bye.

I think there are quite a few things they could do to help even some things out. One would be no West Coast team should have to play more than 2 games at the 1 p.m. Eastern time start. There are plenty of statistics to support that any team not in the Central or Eastern time zone struggle more when having to do the early start time. Throw in West coast teams always seem to have to do the most traveling throughout a season so just a few things they can do to try and even that out.

I agree on the bye week thing as I remember that and thinking this is just crazy that every team we had to play got a nice week off to rest up and 2 weeks to game plan against us.

 

[iknowftbll]

I think there are quite a few things they could do to help even some things out. One would be no West Coast team should have to play more than 2 games at the 1 p.m. Eastern time start. There are plenty of statistics to support that any team not in the Central or Eastern time zone struggle more when having to do the early start time. Throw in West coast teams always seem to have to do the most traveling throughout a season so just a few things they can do to try and even that out.

I agree on the bye week thing as I remember that and thinking this is just crazy that every team we had to play got a nice week off to rest up and 2 weeks to game plan against us.

Part of this is simply a consequence of geography. We live in a big country, so nuances like this in the schedule are sometimes unavoidable. Same with teams playing in snow games. There is not a lot we can do about it. If the league starts trying to mitigate size and geography out of the scheduling that's a bit of over kill in my opinion. But fixing the bye disparity would be a nice step in the right direction.